Not So Fast

The Democrats are riding high these days, and understandably so. Yet there are persistent signs that a great many Americans are not on board with their agenda. It’s too soon to diagnose a case of buyer’s remorse, but none of the major initiatives of the Obama administration and the Democratic Congress–TARP II, the bailouts, the “stimulus” pork bill, the budget, cap and trade, card check–poll very well, and some poll miserably.

So it’s not entirely surprising that today, for only the second time in five years, Rasmussen finds Republicans leading Democrats on the generic Congressional ballot, 41 percent to 38 percent.

It’s a long way to November 2010, and much will happen between now and then that will shape the next election cycle. But already, large sectors of the public are showing doubts about the Democrats’ agenda and reservations about the Democrats’ sole control in Washington. (The tea parties, of course, are just one manifestation of what appears to be a widespread concern.) So far, the Democrats seem unaware of, or unconcerned about, the public’s lack of enthusiasm for their agenda. Time will tell whether they will pay a price for their current hubris.